Attenuation of morphine withdrawal signs by low level laser therapy in rats

In the present study, the effects of low-intensity laser therapy (LILT) on naloxone-induced withdrawal signs of morphine-dependent rats were examined. Low-intensity lasers with a power density of 12.5J/cm(2) have been used by a Ga-Al-As laser. One-way ANOVA showed that the LILT which applied immediately or 15min prior to naloxone injection significantly decreased total withdrawal score (TWS). These results suggest that LILT prior to naloxone injection attenuates the expression of withdrawal signs in morphine-dependent rats. Further studies may elucidate the likely role of LILT in clinical management of opioid withdrawal syndrome.     

Glutamine treatment attenuates hyperglycemia-induced mitochondrial stress and apoptosis in umbilical vein endothelial cells

OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro effect of glutamine and insulin on apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, cell permeability, and inflammatory cytokines in hyperglycemic umbilical vein endothelial cells.RESULTS:Glutamine maintains the integrity of the mitochondria by reducing the cell permeability and cytochrome c levels and increasing the mitochondrial membrane potential. The cytochrome c level was significantly (p<0.005) reduced when the cells were treated with glutamine. An apoptosis assay revealed significantly reduced apoptosis (p<0.005) in the glutamine-treated cells. Moreover, glutamine alone or in combination with insulin modulated inflammatory cytokine levels. Interleukin-10, interleukin-6, and vascular endothelial growth factor were up-regulated while tumor necrosis factor-α was down-regulated after treatment with glutamine.CONCLUSIONS:Glutamine, either alone or in combination with insulin, can positively modulate the mitochondrial stress and cell permeability in umbilical vein endothelial cells. Glutamine regulates the expression of inflammatory cytokines and maintains the balance of the mitochondria in a cytoprotective manner.     

Ex vivo Normothermic Machine Perfusion and Viability Testing of Discarded Human Donor Livers

In contrast to traditional static cold preservation of donor livers, normothermic machine perfusion may reduce preservation injury, improve graft viability and potentially allows ex vivo assessment of graft viability before transplantation. We have studied the feasibility of normothermic machine perfusion in four discarded human donor livers. Normothermic machine perfusion consisted of pressure and temperature controlled pulsatile perfusion of the hepatic artery and continuous portal perfusion for 6 h. Two hollow fiber membrane oxygenators provided oxygenation of the perfusion fluid. Biochemical markers in the perfusion fluid reflected minimal hepatic injury and improving function. Lactate levels decreased to normal values, reflecting active metabolism by the liver (mean lactate 10.0 ± 2.3 mmol/L at 30 min to 2.3 ± 1.2 mmol/L at 6 h). Bile production was observed throughout the 6 h perfusion period (mean rate 8.16 ± 0.65 g/h after the first hour). Histological examination before and after 6 h of perfusion showed well‐preserved liver morphology without signs of additional hepatocellular ischemia, biliary injury or sinusoidal damage. In conclusion, this study shows that normothermic machine perfusion of human donor livers is technically feasible. It allows assessment of graft viability before transplantation, which opens new avenues for organ selection, therapeutic interventions and preconditioning.     

Association of CCND1 Gene c.870G&gt;A Polymorphism with Breast Cancer Risk: A Case-ControlStudy and a Meta-Analysis

Cyclin D1 (CCND1) plays an essential role in regulating the progress of the cell cycle from G1 to S phase. There is a common c.870G>A polymorphism in the CCND1 gene. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of CCND1 gene c.870G>A polymorphism with breast cancer risk in a case-control study, which followed by a meta-analysis and an in silico analysis. Three hundred and thirty-five subjects composed of 174 women with breast cancer and 161 healthy controls were included in the case-control study. CCND1 gene c.870G>A genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP. Meta-analysis was done for 14 studies composed of 7281 cases and 6820 controls. Some bioinformatics tools were applied to investigate the effects of c.870G>A on the mRNA splicing and structure. Our data obtained from case-control study revealed that GA genotype (OR: 1.89, 95%CI: 1.12–3.17, p = 0.017), AA genotype (OR: 1.95, 95%CI: 1.08–3.53, p = 0.027), and A allele (OR: 1.44, 95%CI: 1.06–1.95, p = 0.019) were significantly associated with breast cancer risk. The results of meta-analysis showed a significant association between CCND1 c.870G>A polymorphism and breast cancer risk, especially in Caucasian population. In silico analysis revealed that c.870G>A transition affect CCND1 mRNA splicing and secondary structure.     

Efficacy of a human embryo transfer medium: a prospective, randomized clinical trial study

Purpose: The aim of this prospective, randomized trial was to evaluate the efficacy of Embryo-Glue^® as a human embryo transfer medium in IVF/ICSI cycles. Method: A total of 815 nonselected patients undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment between September 2003 and February 2004 were randomly allocated into the test (417 patients) and the control (398 patients) groups. In both groups, embryos were cultured in G-1™ver 3, supplemented with 10% recombinant human albumin. On the day of embryo transfer (day 3), the best or good quality embryos were selected for intrauterine transfer. In the test group, the selected embryos were treated with EmbryoGlue^® prior to the transfer, whereas in the control group they were transferred without any treatment. Results: The patients’ characteristics such as age and the number of ART cycles and also the number of patients in each indication of infertility and the number of embryos selected for transfer were all similar between the two groups. In the test group, the clinical pregnancy rate in the tubal factors and the implantation rate in the tubal factors and recurrent implantation failures increased significantly compared with those in the control group. In the test group, life birth and the triplet delivery rates increased significantly compared with those in the control group. Conclusion: EmbryoGlue^® is a useful embryo transfer medium, and at least in some infertile patients it can improve clinical implantation and ongoing pregnancy rates.